For Detroit Tigers fans who can do simple math, it seemed obvious that Rick Porcello — the sinkerballer miscast seemingly miscast with this suspect defensive team behind him — would be the odd man out after the team re-signed Anibal Sanchez.

With six starters, someone’s expendable, right?

The rumors of his imminent trade have been rampant in the month since, including one that surfaced Thursday, while Porcello was answering questions with his teammates during the team’s Winter Caravan.

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While Porcello has done his best to shrug them off, his manager was preparing for the possibility that it might not happen — which would be just fine with him.

“You always feel good when you got your pitchers, you got them in order, and we’ve got six right now. And that’s a good thing, because we don’t have a lot of extra depth (in the minors). We’ve got six starters right now, and that’s a good thing to have. I’m real excited about that,” Tigers manager Jim Leyland said at the beginning of Thursday’s bus trip around Southeast Michigan.

“I think it’s going to be fun looking at (Smyly vs.) Porcello. Let’s not start slighting what Porcello’s done here. I mean, he’s done some pretty good things here, for a guy that’s 23 years old. ...Obviously, Smyly made a good impression.

“There’s nothing wrong with pitching depth. That’s a big key.”

And the Tigers have certainly needed more than five starters in recent years.

Most teams do.

Jacob Turner (3 starts), Casey Crosby (3 starts), Adam Wilk (3 starts) and Duane Below combined to start 10 of the Tigers’ 162 regular-season games in 2012, most of them in the first half. Even Smyly was called back out of the bullpen to make a pair of starts in late September, when Scherzer’s shoulder put him on the shelf.

In 2010, outside of the normal starting five, Oliver started five times, Alfredo Figaro once, and Dontrelle Willis eight times — before he imploded for the last time.

Of those seven pitchers, only Crosby and Below are still with the organization.

“You always need depth,” Leyland tweet. “I really can’t give a real good answer on how that’s all going to play out, because I don’t know how it’s going to play out. I can’t tell you right now who the fifth starter is. I mean, as we stand here today, the fifth starter is going to be Porcello or Smyly. Which one, I can’t really tell you, and I can’t really go into depth on anything else that might happen if one of them doesn’t start, because I don’t know yet.

“But that’s pretty nice to have Rick Porcello and Smyly, one of the two in the five hole, and the other in the bullpen. There’s nothing wrong with that.”

That’s a concept that has belied the general consensus outside the franchise that one of the two “extra” or “expendable” starters — more likely the veteran Porcello — would be moved in a trade.

Thursday was no different, as rumors surfaced in the aftermath of the Diamondbacks’ trade of Justin Upton to Atlanta that Arizona’s next move would be to look for a starting pitcher. USA Today’s Bob Nightengale tweeted that a National League official told him the Diamondbacks would parlay one piece of the package they got from the Braves, shortstop prospect Nick Ahmed, into a package to deal for Porcello.

Arizona general manager Kevin Towers later said that his team was set with pitching, having acquired top prospect Randall Delgado in the trade.

Yet, the rumors of Porcello being on the move still persist, leading to questions he’s had to answer.

“I’m preparing to go down to Spring Training and get ready for a season like I would any other year. If something changes, then I’ll adjust accordingly. Right now, I’m ready to do whatever I can to help this team win. Obviously, hopefully win a spot in the rotation, otherwise do whatever I can to help the club. That’s it. That’s my job,” Porcello said Thursday.

“I don’t think there’s anything to be negative about. It’s a great team, a great group of guys. I’m fortunate to be here, I’m happy to be here. Ready to help this team however I can.”

For Porcello, who has 120 career starts and 48 career wins to Smyly’s 18 and four, you’d think experience would play into the competition.

For his part, the just-turned 24-year-old Porcello has no problem competing with the soon-to-be 24-year-old Smyly, even if he does think he fits in the rotation.

“Definitely. I think very highly of myself, and I definitely expect to be back in the rotation, but it’s internal competition right now, which makes all of us better. Nothing is given to you. You’ve gotta go out there, and earn a spot, and that’s what I’m working towards. That’s what I do the entire offseason: prepare to win a spot in Spring Training. I don’t take that for granted. I’m ready to help the team any way I can, and hopefully that’s in the rotation.”

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